This invention relates to a load bearing cart which is collapsible into a compact package which is light and conveniently carried. The cot may be readily reassembled.
The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,744 which discloses a collapsible carrier for camp packs as well as game having a single centrally located large diameter wheel and having removable handle bars which are storable within the collapsed assembly for enhanced portability. U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,405 illustrates a cart having one large centrally located wheel which has shock absorbing means as well as a mileage meter for use on rough terrain.
An important aspect of the present invention involves its use in connection with carrying game such as a deer or even larger game which has been killed in the woods and in such terrain as to be inaccessible by motorized vehicles. The task of removing large game from such terrain is generally a two-man job wherein each man carries one end of a horizontal pole from which the animal is suspended. Game carriers have been provided having some limited collapsibility but generally being of a type configured in such a manner as a hand cart with relatively larger wheels. Carts with a single wheel at one end as well as sleds have also been utilized for this purpose.
The devices of the prior art have been relatively ineffective in providing a practical means for transporting large game as a one man operation. The single wheeled devices are difficult to balance and are bulky when an attempt is made to carry them and are relatively of expensive construction. Such devices are generally incapable of utilization for any other purpose except transport of game or camping equipment. A more versatile device which is light and collapsible into a suitable package may be useful in lieu of the hand carts wherein wheels are fixed adjacent a lower corner, and wherein inexpensive means may be used for transporting loads such as layers of sod, sacks of grain, vegetables or construction materials including concrete blocks and the like.
The invention further contemplates provision of a removable brace for stabilizing the wheels and their mountings to facilitate transporting a load on the cart. Both rigid and flexible load bearing supports may be utilized and by removing the brace and providing a flexible support a recliner may be provided for the user such as a beach chair. Other beach equipment may be transported by the cart before its conversion as to a beach chair.